Alabama Demographics

Alabama is the 23rd most populous and the 28th largest (50,645 square miles) of the 50 states and capital district in the US. Its capital city is Montgomery (in the above picture). Majority of occupations in Alabama is management and professional (30.80%), followed by sales and office (26.10%). Black or African American is the second largest race in this state after White.

State Stats and Facts

Alabama is often referred to as the Cotton Plantation State, Cotton State, Lizard State and Yellowhammer State

Alabama has one of the lowest number of people working in service industry (15.50% whilst USA median 17.10%)

Alabama has one of the highest mercury releases, per 1000 population

Alabama has one of the lowest number of population with two or more races (1.50% vs. country average 2.40%)

Alabama has one of the lowest life expectancy at birth (75 while country average 79)

Population Charts

Based on 2013 estimate, Alabama population was 4,833,722 which ranks the 23rd of the 50 United States and capital district. The most populous city in Alabama is Birmingham. In this section, you’ll learn various state profiles on population by race, age and gender.

Total population compared to the USA

From April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2013, net population change is 1.10%. This is lower than national average, which is 2.40%. Alabama population represents only 1.53% of the entire population in the USA as featured in the following chart.

Population distribution by race or age

Census 2013 shows the following 5 races or ethnicities representing population in Alabama (sortedin descending order):

White ancestry 69.80%

Black or African American 26.60%

Others (two or more races) 1.50%

Asian ethnicity 1.30%

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.70%

Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander 0.10%

The following chart compares Alabama population distribution to national average:

According to Census QuickFacts 2013, 6.10% of Alabama population are under 5 years old, 23.00% are under 18 years and 14.90% are 65 years or older. Furthermore 5.20% of Alabama population (over the age of 5) speak language other than English at home, which is lower than the US average of 20.50%.

Female vs male population

Female population in 2013 is 51.50% which is slightly more than male population. Alabama female population number ranks the 4th nation-wide. USA’s average female population is 50.80% whereas male population average is 49.20%. The following chart shows comparison of female and male population between Alabama and the USA.

Demographics Charts

In this section, you’ll find a collection of statistical profiles on education, property ownerships, poverty, land area, population density and life expectancy. For analysis purposes, each state data is compared to national average. Data is sourced from last census.

Education, home ownership and poverty rate

In the chart below, you’ll find:

Rate of high school graduates is 82.60% which is lower than US median of 85.70%

Rate of bachelor’s degree is 22.30%, lower than national median of 28.50%

Home ownership rate is 70.20%, this is higher than national average of 65.50%

People who live below poverty rate is 18.10%, this is higher than national median of 14.90%

Data is obtained from Census 2008-2012.

Land area, population density and life expectancy

Featured on the table below is:

Land area is 1.43% of total land area

Alabama has more population density than the USA average (94.4 people per square mile vs 87.4)

Life expectancy in Alabama is lower by 3.44 years than national average

Data is based on Census 2010.

Alabama land area, population density & life expectancy

Demographic Attribute

Alabama

USA

Land area (square miles)

50,645.33

3,531,905.43

Population density (people per square mile)

94.4

87.4

Life expectancy (years)

75.4

78.9

Unemployment rate and occupation types

Alabama unemployment rate (May 2013 to June 2014) is 6.30% (higher than national average). Alabama did not have minimum wage information available at the time this page was developed. The table and chart below show various occupation types based on data obtained from 2010.

Occupation types in Alabama based on Census 2010

Occupation

Alabama

USA

Management or professional-related job

30.80%

34.90%

Service-related job

15.50%

17.10%

Sales and office job

26.10%

25.50%

Farming, fishing, and forestry

0.60%

0.70%

Construction, extraction, maintenance and repair

10.80%

9.30%

Production, transportation and material moving

16.10%

12.50%

In terms of travel time to work, workers in Alabama usually took less time than US average. Data from American Community Survey shows travel time in Alabama was 24.1 minutes on average, whereas national average was 25.4 minutes. Average travel time is obtained by calculating time required to get from home to work each day during the week.

Business ownerships

Latest census business data shows:

Black-owned firms 14.80%, higher than national average of 7.10%

American Indian and Alaska Native-owned firms 0.80%, lower than national median of 0.90%

Asian-owned firms 1.80%, lower than US average of 5.70%

Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander-owned firms 0.10%, same as the country’s average of 0.10%

Hispanic-owned firms 1.20%, lower than national average of 8.30%

Women-owned firms 28.10%, lower than US median of 28.80%

For comparison purpose, the following chart includes data from US average.

Production and sales

The following table and chart show manufacturers production shipments and sales figures per business area. This information highlights which specific business area Alabama is strong at.

Manufacturers Production Shipments and Sales Figures

Description

Alabama

USA

Manufacturers shipments ($1000)

112,858,843

5,319,456,312

Merchant wholesaler sales ($1000)

52,252,752

4,174,286,516

Retail sales ($1000)

57,344,851

3,917,663,456

Accommodation and food services ($1000)

6,426,342

613,795,732

Retail spending per person is $12,364.00, which is lower than US average of $12,990.00. In 2012, number of building permits issued in Alabama was 13,506.Back to the Top Page